Nicole Kidman sets the screen ablaze as a death-row groupie in 1960s South Florida who enlists the aid of reporters (Matthew McConaughey, David Oyelowo) to help prove the innocence of an alligator hunter (John Cusack) bound for the electric chair. At least part of this sunburnt noir is devoted to the coming-of-age of McConaughey’s brother (Zac Efron), an aspiring writer who learns that in the swamps of South Florida, nothing is as it seems. Extras: featurettes.

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“Taken 2” (2012, Fox, PG-13, $30) In 2009’s “Taken,” Liam Neeson bounded all over Paris looking for his kidnapped daughter (Maggie Grace). The movie was such an enormous hit that a sequel seemed inevitable. And here it is, with a bigger body count and even more nerve-fraying action. This time around, it’s Neeson and his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) who are snatched in Instanbul by baddies associated with the kidnappers from the first film. What keeps “Taken 2” from jumping off the rails is a handful of unique set pieces, including one in which Neeson talks Grace through a riveting rescue mission. Extras: featurettes and deleted scenes.

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“To Rome With Love” (2012, Sony, R, $30) Woody Allen’s cinematic tour of Europe continues with this Roma-set comedy featuring four stories in one. Allen and Judy Davis play a retired opera director and his wife who visit Italy to meet the parents of a lawyer about to marry their daughter (Alison Pill). Jesse Eisenberg is an architect torn between his girlfriend (Greta Gerwig) and her neurotic friend (Ellen Page). Penelope Cruz plays a prostitute who pretends to be the wife of a new groom. And Roberto Benigni wakes up to discover he’s famous. Despite a few rough patches, it’s belissimo. Extras: none.

“The Possession” (2012, Lionsgate, PG-13, $30) Sure, “The Possession” resembles every other “The Exorcist” knock-off you’ve seen. But Danish helmer Ole Bornedal gets strong performances from his cast and conjures up so many stunning images that you probably won’t mind the overly familiar set-up. Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick star as the just-divorced parents of a young girl (Natasha Calis) who becomes possessed by a Dibbuk, or a displaced spirit that’s trapped within a mysterious box. The early scenes are particularly creepy, especially those involving moths which infest Morgan’s home. Extras: featurettes and commentaries.

“Won’t Back Down” (2012, Fox, PG, $23) Shocked at how poor an education her daughter is receiving at a Pittsburgh public school, a determined mom (smug Maggie Gyllenhaal) teams up with a dissatisfied teacher (understated Viola Davis) to try and turn Adams Elementary around. The villains in this annoyingly simplistic movie are union leaders (Holly Hunter) who, writer/director Daniel Barnz argues, are almost single-handedly responsible for the education crisis. Even if Barnz weren’t pushing a questionable agenda, “Won’t Back Down” would receive failing grades for its preachiness and predictable plotting. Extras: deleted scenes, featurettes and commentary by Barnz.

“Farewell, My Queen” (2012, Cohen, R, $25) Lady-in-waiting Sidonie (Lea Seydoux) is just beginning to work her way into the affections of Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger) when the French Revolution erupts, casting doubt on the future of all of the pampered royals and their pals, including a beauty (Virginie Ledoyen) who might or might not be the Queen’s lover. The violence raging outside of Versailles brings gravity to Benoit Jacquot’s unusual tale of thwarted passion. Essentially a romantic triangle between three women, “Farewell” manages to feel intimate and epic at the same time. Extras: featurettes.

“Hit & Run” (2012, Universal, R, $30) Dax Shepard’s directorial debut is the kind of slapdash, big-hearted road movie that Roger Corman might have turned out in the ’70s. Shepard stars as a former bank robber who decides to leave the witness protection program to drive his girlfriend (Kristen Bell) to Los Angeles for a job interview. Along the way, the couple is chased by a bungling marshal (Tom Arnold), Bell’s ex-boyfriend (Michael Rosenbaum) and a thug (Bradley Cooper) from Shepard’s bank-robbing days. The film is fueled by old-school car chases as well as a romance between real-life sweeties Shepard and Bell that’s pure comic bliss. Extras: deleted scenes and featurettes.

“A Royal Affair” (2012, Magnolia, R, $30) Who says they don’t make ‘em like they used to? This old-fashioned period epic has a David Lean-esque grandeur as well as keen understanding of what makes powerful people tick. It begins with an English girl’s (Alicia Vikander) marriage to the King of Denmark (Mikkel Boe Folsgaard), a clueless ruler who allows the religious establishment to run his country. Both the King and the Queen’s lives are upended by the appearance at court of a progressive, German-born physician (the magnetic Mads Mikkelsen). In no time, he’s captured the Queen’s heart and is manipulating the King into reforming Denmark. Extras: none.

“Sleep Tight” (2012, IFC, unrated, $25) Spanish helmer Jaume Balaguero (“”) is a seductive filmmaker whose latest thriller pulses along as effortlessly as a classic by Roman Polanski. But the absorbing movie centers on such a cruel man that it makes your blood run cold, and not in a good way. The setup is this: Barcelona doorman Cesar (Luis Tosar) is a suicidal nutjob hellbent on making others feel pain. His primary target is the building’s cheeriest occupant (Marta Etura) whose happiness he sets out to destroy. “Sleep Tight” is compelling but it’s also a nasty a piece of work. Cesar would love it. Extras: featurette.

“The Wise Kids” (2012, Wolfe, unrated, $25) An Evangelical Christian community in Charleston, South Carolina is the backdrop for Stephen Cone’s modest but heartfelt flick about three teenagers trying to navigate life after high-school. A preacher’s daughter (Molly Kunz) is questioning her faith while her devout best friend (Allison Torem) is preparing to attend a Christian College, and their buddy (Tyler Ross) is confronting his homosexuality for the first time. Cone brings out the best in his inexperienced cast while managing to capture the heartbreaks and joys of adolescence. Extras: featurette.

“Hannah And Her Sisters” (1986, MGM, PG-13, $25 ) New to Blu-ray, Woody Allen’ s 1986 stunner revolves around three sisters with very complicated love lives. Woody plays the ex-husband of Hannah (Mia Farrow) who is married to Elliot (Michael Caine) who has the hots for Hannah’s sister Lee (Barbara Hershey) who is married to a reclusive painter (Max Von Sydow). Meanwhile, Woody begins an on-again, off-again relationship with third sister Holly (Dianne Wiest). Spanning several years — and two Thanksgiving dinners —“Hannah” is Allen at his most Chekhovian. Extras: none.

“The Man Who Knew Too Much” (1934, Criterion, unrated, $30) The original British version of the thriller that Alfred Hitchcock would remake with Doris Day and James Stewart 22 years later includes many memorable scenes (including a tense Albert Hall finale) as well as a villainous turn by Peter Lorre in his first English-language role. It doesn’t flow like the best of Hitchcock but the film, which revolves around a British couple (Edna Best, Leslie Banks) pulled into a case of international intrigue, benefits from clever plotting and plenty of gallows humor. Extras: interviews with Hitchcock and commentary by film historian.

“Anger Management: Season One”(2012, Lionsgate, unrated, $30) For his F/X sitcom, Charlie Sheen plays a therapist who, after putting his own temper tantrums behind him, specializes in treating patients with anger issues. It’s a premise that seems ripe for dark humor. Instead, a subdued Sheen and his writers mostly settle for cheap jokes. The supporting cast (Selma Blair, Shawnee Smith) is bland, which makes Sheen seem uninteresting too. Without “Two and a Half Men” vets like Jon Cryer, Conchatta Ferrell and Holland Taylor to bounce off of, Sheen seems lost at sea. Extras: interview with Sheen.

“Episodes: The Complete First and Second Season” (2011-2012, Paramount, unrated, $40) In this hit-and-miss Hollywood satire, a pair of writers (Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan) from across the pond are hired to translate their hit TV series into a sitcom starring Matt LeBlanc. Creators David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik mine comic gold from the culture clash between the Brits and the clueless network execs (John Pankow, Kathleen Rose Perkins) but it’s LeBlanc who steals the show with his portrayal of a shallow yet charming version of himself. Extras: none.

Amy Longsdorf is a freelance entertainment writer. Her DVD reviews appear Sunday in The Mercury.